Badal calls for ouster of Cong at Centre

Goindwal Sahib,Tarn Taran, Oct 18 (UNI) Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today virtually sounded a poll bugle exhorting people to oust the Congress and bring the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (UPA) rule at the Centre in the coming Lok Sabha elections to ensure justice and equity for the state.

''The people of Punjab had lots of expectations from the UPA regime, but were dejected due to the step-motherly treatment meted out to the state despite Dr Manmohan Singh at the helm of affairs as the Prime Minister,'' Mr Badal said addressing a gathering at a public rally after laying the foundation stone of 540 MW Goindwal Sahib Thermal Plant.

All the long-pending demands of the state, be it economic, agriculture, industry, inter-state issues among others had been ignored by the Congress, he said, adding Punjab was even neglected in the Centre's agenda on agricultural front despite being the biggest contributor to the central pool.

''Perhaps it was for the first time in the history of agriculture economy that the Centre had fixed the MSP of paddy below the recommendations of the Commission for Agriculture Costs and Prices (CACP). The UPA regime's negative attitude against the farmers was evident when it announced to fix Rs 850 per quintal as MSP for paddy, which was far below Rs 1,000 per quintal ecommended by the CACP,'' he underlined.